July 23: The supply of vegetables in the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market has decreased significantly due to the obstruction in road connectivity caused by floods and landslides. The prices of vegetables have started skyrocketing due to the short-supply.

Normally, the Kalimati vegetable market used to be receive supply of 700 to 800 tons of vegetables and fruits on a daily basis, but the daily supply was reduced to 400 to 500 tons during the lockdown. Likewise, it has now decreased to 200 tons after floods and landslides blocked roads in many parts of the country.

According to Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Development Board (KFVDB), only 327 tons vegetables were imported in the market on Monday, 297 ton on Tuesday and 170 ton till Wednesday afternoon. According to Binaya Shrestha, Information Officer at the board, although the lockdown was eased, the demand has decreased due to the closure of school, college, hotel, and restaurants.

He further said that around 700 tons of vegetables should have been imported during this time but due to flood and landslide, the supply has decreased. “It is not suitable season for vegetable production as well. It is now certain that the price will increase as the supply reduced significantly,” he said.

The prices of most of the vegetables including tomato, potato, local cabbage, radish, beans, soybean, pointed gourd, and lady’s finger have increased in the last one week.

The price of tomato, which was being sold at Rs 12 per kg on July 15, has increased by 50 percent to Rs 18 per kg on July 22. Likewise, the price of local cabbage has increased by 111% from Rs 18 to Rs 38 per kg within a week. The price of beans has increased by 105% from Rs 38 per kg to Rs 78 per kg.

In addition, the price of lady’s finger has increased by 52% from Rs 38 to Rs 58 per kg.

Similarly, with 40% increase, soybean is priced at Rs 98 per kg from Rs 68.

As the production of vegetables decreases during the rainy season, the price of vegetables increases every year during this season. The development committee informed that the price of vegetables has inclined upwards as traders did not even bring vegetables from India due to the fear of coronavirus.

The supply of Indian vegetables has dropped by about 80 percent due to the fear of coronavirus. Gita Prasad Acharya, a member of the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Entrepreneurs' Association, said that the import of Indian vegetables has decreased as more priority is given to local vegetables.